Numerous examples of lift trucks and fork lifts are well known in the art. There are various rider trucks and riderless trucks which utilize the forward prongs as a lift. Of the rider trucks, two main varieties are well known: one is a four-wheeled vehicle having a rider's seat mounted atop the motor and hydraulic system, the second is a smaller lift truck with the rider standing on a platform at the rear of the truck. Neither of these types of prior art lift trucks take into account the changing environment in the industrial materials handling operation. The advent of computerization and the "just in time" inventory philosophy have made inventories a liability rather than an asset, have changed the distribution and storage patterns to the extent that the trailer loads of yesteryears which went to a single point have been changed to smaller lot shipments, and split loads with many-fold deliveries in a single trailer. Consequently, the lift truck operator's job has changed from a "sit down" job where he moved pallet after pallet without getting off his machine to an "on and off" job where he must frequently get off the machine and attend to the load. Furthermore, the smaller shipments result in smaller storage space with smaller aisles, thus greater mobility and visibility are required in today's environment.